


Minding the Shop

by AntimonyIridium



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Some angst, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 14:26:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4838597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntimonyIridium/pseuds/AntimonyIridium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ampharos is left to run the electrical appliance store while Blaziken Mask defends Lumiose City.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Minding the Shop

Ampharos sighed as she stacked the shelves with rebuilt toasters. Meyer and Blaziken still weren’t back yet. They’d been gone an awfully long time. Surely, they should be back by now?

She looked out the front windows to the street beyond. It was dusk, but there were still people milling about. Some were heading home after a long day, some coming out to enjoy the night. None were masked superheroes with their namesake partners.

Ampharos sighed again. She was like this every night they went out. She would sit around and worry, and they would both come back in one piece, and she wouldn’t have needed to. But she couldn’t keep herself from thinking that one night, maybe not this one or the next, but one night, they wouldn’t come back in one piece.

Or worse, that they won’t come back at all. Ampharos banished that thought before she could dwell on it too much. Of course they would come back; of course they would be fine. They wouldn’t be doing this if they couldn’t take care of themselves.

Before she could convince herself of that, she felt a rumble from the ground, like the aftershocks of an explosion rocking the earth very far away. For one panicked second, Ampharos thought of Meyer and Blaziken and the peril they could be in. But the rumble faded too quickly, and she couldn’t be sure if it was real or just her anxiety getting to her.

She turned her attention back to the toasters. The only thing she could do now was wait.

***

When they did finally come back, it was in one piece. (Well, mostly anyway. Meyer a pattern of bruises across his left arm, and Blaziken looked like he was about to fall over from exhaustion.) Meyer patted her on the head and asked her how the store was. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she spent the whole time worrying about them. That she never wanted them to put themselves in danger like that. Because she could see in his eyes the peace that being Blaziken Mask brought him. The sense of purpose. Even through all the danger, he would keep putting on the mask because he felt it was needed.

So she lied. “Riiuuu!”

“That’s good!” He chuckled. “Why don’t you two get a good rest? I’ll close up the shop.”

***

It wasn’t until the next morning that Ampharos learned what they had done. While Meyer made breakfast, he switched on the morning news, like usual. It was showing footage from last night. A Pikachu had fallen off of Prism Tower, and its trainer had jumped after it. They tumbled through the air, falling together towards the ground. Before they reached it, a streak of fire caught them and placed them safely on the ground. Blaziken.

_If they hadn’t been there…_

Ampharos looked at Meyer where he was still fussing over the oatmeal. _If they hadn’t been there…_ For the first time since Meyer and Blaziken started trying to be the guardians of Lumiose City, Ampharos understood why. Why they put themselves in danger, and why they wouldn’t ever stop.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this is kind of a downer.
> 
> I’m assuming Ampharos is female, and Blaziken male, but the anime will probably prove me wrong at some point. I’m also assuming that Ampharos works at the shop while Meyer is out cavorting in his cape somewhere or working (flirting) with Professor Sycamore. And that Pokémon running things while their trainers are busy is actually rather usual.
> 
> Criticism and comments are welcome!


End file.
